Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Cauliflower Cake and a Guest Post

I have been invited to write a guest post for Dena from Gathering Flavors. If you’ve ever met Dena you are in for a real treat. I can’t remember exactly how I first discovered her blog but I was instantly impressed by the beauty of her photography, her recipes and style of writing. It’s funny how you can meet someone in this internet world and feel like you have so much in common with them. Please stop by Gathering Flavors to see the recipe for Cauliflower cake and to check out her beautiful blog.

Recipe has been slightly adapted from, “Plenty More”, a cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi.

I’ve been a fan of Yotam’s for ages. He is a chef that knows how to make vegetables the front and center of a meal. Take this cauliflower cake; sometimes cauliflower can be bland. But not here, the vegetable is celebrated with wonderful spices and herbs to make a delicious comforting dish. As this little gem bakes in the oven your home will be filled with the most amazing aroma. And in the end no one will miss the meat.

There was one thing that was kind of odd to me. The recipe called for 1/3 teaspoon of turmeric, not a problem right. Well when I went to grab for my measuring spoons, (I have 2 different sets) there was no 1/3 teaspoon, on either set. That struck me as a little strange, are they all like this and I never paid attention. Hmm……..

I followed the recipe fairly closely except I roasted the cauliflower and did not use as much olive oil and was very happy with the results. I hope you are too.

Line baking sheet with aluminum foil or lightly coat with oil. Add cauliflower florets and drizzle with olive oil and toss to lightly coat. Bake about 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven, set aside.

Prepare a 9 ½ inch spring form cake pan by buttering sides and bottom of pan. Add parchment to the bottom, first drawing a circle, sticking onto the buttered bottom and then butter the top of the parchment. (Yotam melts butter to do this, I used a pat of butter and a paper towel, also he uses parchment around the sides too.) Add seeds to the sides of the inside of pan.

In a small skillet add 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, rosemary and coarsely chopped onion. Sauté about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened. Remove from heat, set aside.

When onions have cooled add to a large bowl and add eggs and basil, whisk well, then add flour, baking powder, turmeric, Parmesan and a little black pepper. Whisk until smooth, then add cauliflower.

Pour cauliflower mixture into prepared spring form pan. Spread evenly, top with the red onion slices.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and knife inserted in middle comes out clean. Let set for at least 20 minutes before serving, remove from pan.

Cake is best served warm or room temperature. Cut into slices. Serve along side a nice green salad. Enjoy!

Cheri Savory Spoon

Mysavoryspoon was first started in 2010 as a way to journal recipes that I had collected from cookbooks, magazines, family and friends. Most everything was savory, using legumes and whole grains. Along the way I discovered a love for baking. Now a couple times a month you might see some type of sweet pie or treat.

This sounds similar to kuku, which is a Middle Eastern cake with eggs and herbs. It's one of those recipes I've been meaning to make for at least 15 years! I just can't get my hands on so many herbs at the one time. Anyway, a 1/3 teaspoon is grabbing a teaspoon measure and guessing a third. It's still quite a lot of turmeric. :)

This looks delicious, Cheri! And now I will forever be on a search for a set of measuring spoons that includes a 1/3 teaspoon! Of course, we all own 1/3 tablespoon, it's just that they never tell us... Have a great day. I am on the East Coast freezing! :)

Yotam was on TV this morning over here while I was eating my breakfast, Cheri! I love his recipes! At first I thought this was like an omelette but I guess with all that flour in it must be more pancake-y ... mmm, delicious!

Dear Cheri, I have a very soft spot for Yottam Ottolenghi´s recipes (as you probably know) - and I am currentkly cooking my way through his latest cookbooks NOPI - his cauliflower cake recipe has been on my mind for way too long . after seeing it here, again, I should really be making it now - your version looks utterly delicious!Andrea